Cigarette Smoking Among U.S. Adults Drops to All-Time Low

The number of adult cigarette smokers in the United States has hit an all-time low of 13.7 percent in 2018, according to the CDC.

Thursday, a statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the report showed “a decline of approximately two-thirds in the more than 50 years since the first Surgeon General’s report warned of the health consequences of smoking.”

CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said he is pleased with the drop in numbers.

“This marked decline in cigarette smoking is the achievement of a consistent and coordinated effort by the public health community and our many partners,” he commented.

Thursday, the CDC Tobacco Free tweeted an infographic regarding the agency’s findings.

In 2018, 55% of US adults who smoked cigarettes reported trying to quit in the past year. Learn more about adult tobacco use in a new @CDCMMWR: https://t.co/Syue1rNZvE pic.twitter.com/5p25ydYln2

— CDC Tobacco Free (@CDCTobaccoFree) November 14, 2019

“Yet, our work is far from over,” Dr. Redfield continued. “The health benefits of quitting smoking are significant, and we are committed to educating Americans about the steps they can take to become tobacco-free.”

On September 11, President Trump proposed a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and said the product was most likely not a solution for those who quit smoking cigarettes, according to Breitbart News.

“We have a problem in our country. It’s a new problem. It’s a problem nobody really thought about too much a few years ago and it’s called vaping, especially vaping as it pertains to innocent children,” the president said.

“The whole thing with vaping has been very profitable … but we can’t allow people to get sick and we can’t allow our youth to be affected. People are dying and we’re going to look at it very very closely … it’s really not a wonderful thing,” he concluded.

The CDC also noted that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States today.

“Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure,” the agency said, adding that quitting smoking at any age is beneficial to an individual’s overall health.